Tracy Lawrence

From the moment Tracy Lawrence’s debut LP, Sticks and Stones, dropped in 1991, the country singer/songwriter delivered hits light on pop flash and heavy on honky-tonk that showcased his meaty baritone. The cowboy-hat-clad everyman was born in Texas in 1968 and grew up in Arkansas, idolising cattlemen. “Renegades, Rebels and Rogues'' from the 1994 Maverick soundtrack is a love letter to these restless spirits, but Lawrence didn’t run from heartache on 1997’s “How a Cowgirl Says Goodbye”. On the wistful track, he faces the pain of being ghosted by his paramour: “She left me on this lost highway/Wonderin' why and where she's gone.” Like Alan Jackson, Lawrence puts out just enough up-tempo music to let listeners know he can rock a party (1993’s “My Second Home”), but he just naturally gravitates to the fishing hole more than the booze cabinet. In subsequent years, the open-book artist faced up to marital problems and released a Christian country album, 2009’s The Rock. He’s outlasted younger guys in Stetsons, but on his 2019 LP, Made in America, he sounds concerned about his future. On the ominous “When the Cowboys Gone”, which pays tribute to Lawrence’s horse-riding heroes of yore, like John Wayne, who never took any guff from anyone, Lawrence wonders, “Who's gonna ride in and save the day?” when everything goes awry.